Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Lots of Rambling

In case you ever wondered what would happen if I quit taking pictures and just wrote about life on this blog, here is your chance to see. Unfortunately, for the life of me, I can't make my laptop resemble anything like it looked last week. I can't upload pictures. That could be because there are currently 141,983 fragments of photos on there right now. I'm a tad discouraged so rather than think about that, I'll write about random things that come to mind. Sorry if it bores you but Dan is at a meeting. It is 9:23 p.m. I'm home alone and I don't watch TV. So, I'll bore you! :-)

Kindergarten- Jonah loves it! I love it too. I love his school, his teacher, his new friends, his excitement and the time I get with Micah. I can't imagine leaving him there every day if he hated it. He seems so much older now. I guess that happens.

Thanksgiving- We haven't been out of town for a holiday in YEARS! Definitely since before Jonah was born. This year, we get to go to South Carolina to spend time with Dan's brother and his family. Dan's mom is actually flying here there Friday before and then riding with us to South Carolina. We will have almost a whole week with her. We are looking forward to getting away and being with family for some extended time.

Schedule- My days have been so full since Jonah started school. Just last week alone, I had people over for coffee, lunch and dinner at various times during the week. I went to a couple of play dates. I had lunch out with a couple of friends. I had a couple of "intentional" phone calls. Jonah had play dates. I was out a couple of nights at a meeting and another night at a party. If every week is like that one, I am going to need some B-12 shots!

Relationships- The past 9 months, it seems God just smiled on me in the area of friendships and relationships. Last December, I started praying that God would help me see people the way He sees them. I prayed that He would help me to be more intentional in relationships. I began to say yes to things rather than no. I began to schedule time for people. Prior to that, I allowed the negative I was told about people to shape my opinions of them. Once I changed my perspective, beautiful relationships were opened up to me. People I once avoided because of "what I heard about them" quickly became some of my sweetest friends. I realized that the biggest advocates and supporters of my family were some of the people I had been warned about. Removing negative thoughts, and opinions totally revolutionized my outlook on life and relationships.

Quiet Time- After I get Dan & Jonah out the door, I sit down at my Dining Room table with a cup of coffee, my journal, 2 Bibles, 1 Devotional Book about Motherhood, Power of a Praying Wife, Prayers for my Little Boy, 90 Days with Paul, a journal I keep for Dan (that includes prayers for him, words of affirmation, scripture for him and notes to him) and a pen. I put the baby monitor next to me and hope for another hour or so of a quiet house before Micah wakes up. Sometimes I get to take my time and work through all of that. Other times, I see him start to stir and I have to prioritize what all I can do that day. I've come to treasure those times. And, I'm starting to see God work in so many ways because of it. Last week, I spent some of my time praying specifically for four people to find jobs. My mom (who has been out of a job for 3+ years) called that night to say she got a full-time job that day! I love marking dates next to the day God answers specific prayers. (hang on Lexie, Jimmy and Uncle Tommy! Your job is coming!)

Pinterest- My new obsession is Pinterest. Actually, to be honest, it WAS my new obsession. But, since my computer messed up, I've hardly been on it. I've found what I want to do with my bedroom, tried lots of new recipes, been quite crafty, found free printables and got the greatest ideas of things to do with my kids from there. Whoever came up with that idea is a genius. And, I thank them! (If you need an invite, let me know!)

JBF Consignment Sale- Since we moved here, I have participated in 4 or 5 of the JBF Consignment Sales. I've made between $350-$550 each time. I then use that money to shop there and outfit my boys in clothes, toys, books etc. at rock bottom prices. Lately, I've been feeling guilt about this. Maybe that is why I haven't tagged ONE. SINGLE. THING. for this sale that is 2 weeks away. The room is full of stuff and hangers but I haven't done any of the work. I feel guilty because I could give those things away to people who need them. But, on the flip side, I use the money to buy the things my boys need for the upcoming season. I don't have an official job to contribute to the household economy so coupons and consignment sales are what I do. Do any of you feel like this about consignment sales? I want to be a blessing to other people but at the same time feel like selling the boy's used clothes and toys to buy the next size/stage is being a good steward. Thoughts? Ideas?

Micah's Birthday- My baby boy turns 1 year old in a little over 2 months. This time has flown by much more so than it did with Jonah. I don't know if it is because we knew what to expect this time or because we are so busy as a family but I'm so amazed that his first birthday is almost here. His party is about 80% planned. It will be like Jonah's first birthday...mostly adults. I try to make first birthday parties about the people who helped us during their first year of life. Our friends Reagan & Malinda are flying in for the party (and to see some mouse in Orlando!) They will be at our house the days leading up to the party and then doing Disney the days after. I'm super excited about her creative self being here to help me. And, thanks to Reagan, we will probably have some pretty tasty meals! ;-)

Stetson Baptist Church- I love this place! Next week marks the 2 year anniversary of our first Sunday. These 2 years have flown! We have seen some exciting things happen. We feel very loved and cared for. We've had the opportunity to love and care for others. We took a step of faith when we moved here. We felt sure this where He was leading us. It was hard to leave what we loved and what was so familiar. But, I'm so grateful for this call on our lives. Fairly often, we still look at each other and say "We are so blessed that God called us here." I can't imagine being anywhere else.

After school activity- Jonah desperately needs to be involved in some sort of after school activity but we can't figure out what would be best for him. He has tried several sample classes and loved them all. It is hard knowing which one to commit too. More than one would be too difficult during this season of life. Some start too late in the afternoon for him. He goes to bed around 6:30 these days We started him at 8:00 and had to push it back 30 minutes each night until we got to 6:30 because he is so tired. This time seems to work good for him.

Books- I started reading fiction again. I read The Help. I've read several Karen Kingsbury books. Any suggestions from any of you?

Bible Study/Book Study- I've been approached by a couple of people about doing a study in my house. Have any of you done Conversation Peace? That one has been brought up a couple of times. We are trying to avoid a Beth Moore study since we have those going on at church already. I just got The Respect Dare from Amazon to do with one friend. I'm not sure I really want to do that one in a large group yet. I think it will be good to work through with one close friend.

Blessings- Today, two different ladies from our church gave me huge blessings. I'm still a little blown away by it. In processing it and thinking about it, I've come up with a few ways to be a blessing to some people in my own life. It seems I'm always spurred to action by the kindness of others.

Nightmare- Jonah came in the living room crying a few minutes ago. He had a nightmare. He wanted to tell me about it. It involved "a snail the size of my pinky and a jackpot but I don't really even know what a jackpot is!" I guess if he has to have a nightmare, then one about a small snail is about as good as it can be.

Ok, it is 11:06 p.m. and Dan isn't home. I tried to stay up (by boring you with my life) to wait on him but my eyes are starting to shut on their own. You better hope my computer works soon or else you'll be stuck with blog posts like these.

7 comments:

I don't have much to offer but I am a big fan of anything Nicolas Sparks. If you've read The Notebook then you should read The Wedding - same characters and somewhat a continuation of the first book. I also read a series by Neta Jackson called the Yada Yada Prayer Group. It's a set of 7 books and they are at the library. They were very good read but I shed some tears.

Also, I've heards lots about Pinterest. I guess I need an invite and an explanation, please. :)

I love reading your blog, I also have 2 boys,(4 and 2) and also have 2 girls, (11 and 16). I have seen a couple of people mention Pinterest in their blogs and would love an invite. I don't have a blog, is it necessary? I have been wanting to start a blog, but just haven't gotten enough time/courage to start one.Thanks,Melanieyou can reach me at:staceyandmelanie@yahoo.com

On the subject of the consignment sale...You are taking your profit and contributing it to someone else who needs it, and getting your boys some much needed items in the process. I see it as a good thing :)

I ALWAYS consign ~ I buy used, too though! I feel it is being a good steward all the way around! LOVE pinterest ~ just started...can't wait until Dalton is out of town so I can REALLY look! LOVE the idea of the notebook/journal for Dan ~think I may do one too! Books ~ Same Kind of Different as Me...if you read it, get me to tell you what happened to me AFTER I read it! It's SOOO good! Will change the way you think! Another good one is Handle with Care ~ Teh confession by john grisham was good too!